STANFORD, Calif. – The opening day of qualifying competition at the 2015 Bank of the West Classic featured three players with Stanford ties competing on stadium court in a familiar setting at Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
Among that group was No. 5 seed Nicole Gibbs, an All-American in singles during each of her three seasons at Stanford (2010-13) and two-time NCAA singles champion (2012, 2013). Matched up against junior Taylor Davidson, Gibbs prevailed 6-0, 6-2 in her attempt to reach the tournament's main draw for the first time since 2013.
Gibbs, who elected to forego her senior season and turn pro, reached the third round of the 2014 US Open and achieved a career-high ranking of No. 84 back in February. That professional experience came in handy against Davidson, who earned All-America accolades this past season and has compiled 55 career victories over two years.
Gibbs, who compiled a 56-5 career record at Taube Family Tennis Stadium during her three seasons on The Farm, next faces No. 4 seed Anna Tatishvili on Sunday in the third and final match of the session, which starts at 10 a.m. PT. Admission is free.
The Cardinal's third player in the qualifying draw, junior Caroline Doyle dropped a 6-0, 6-0 decision to No. 2 seed Kateryna Bondarenko. Doyle was named an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection as sophomore and earned All-America accolades by advancing to the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. Doyle finished 29-7 overall and 18-3 in duals in 2014-15.
Fellow junior Carol Zhao has already earned a wildcard spot in the main draw, and will likely play her first match either Monday or Tuesday. Zhao reached the second round of last year's tournament, falling to World No. 11 and 2008 French Open champion Ana Ivanovic after making it through the qualifying draw. The 2015 NCAA singles runner-up, Zhao has earned All-America honors in each of her first two seasons and finished 35-5 overall and 21-2 in duals as a sophomore. Two weeks ago, Zhao captured a gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games, pairing with Gabriela Dabrowski as the Canadian duo defeated Mexico's Victoria Rodriguez and Marcela Zacarias 6-1, 4-6, 10-5.
Tickets for the tournament's opening round start at just $33 while ticket packages start at $205. For more information, or to purchase tickets, go to www.BankoftheWestClassic.com or call 866-WTA-TIXS (866-982-8497). Qualifying will be held Aug. 1-2 and is free to the public.
The Bank of the West Classic, a Premier WTA event, features a 28-player singles draw as well as a 16-team doubles draw. The event is owned and operated by IMG and serves as the opening women's event of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. The list of past champions of the event reads like a Who's Who of women's tennis including Serena Williams, Lindsay Davenport, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT THE BANK OF THE WEST CLASSIC: The Bank of the West Classic is the longest-running women-only professional tennis tournament in the world and is the first stop of the Emirates Airline US Open Series. Owned and operated by IMG, the WTA Premier event features a 28-player singles draw and a 16-team doubles draw with total prize money of $731,000. Held on Stanford University's campus at Taube Family Tennis Stadium since 1997, former champions include: Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Andrea Jaeger, Monica Seles, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Venus Williams and Kim Clijsters.
ABOUT BANK OF THE WEST: Founded in 1874, $62.4 billion-asset Bank of the West (www.bankofthewest.com), member FDIC and equal housing lender, offers a wide range of personal, commercial, wealth management and international banking services. The bank operates more than 700 retail and commercial banking locations in 19 Western and Midwestern states. Bank of the West is a subsidiary of BNP Paribas, which has a presence in 80 countries with nearly 200,000 employees.
